This invention relates to animated dolls, and more particularly, to a toy doll having arms which move in response to the upper torso of the doll being pivoted about a horizontal axis.
In the past, different mechanisms have been used to produce dolls or manikins with articulated limbs, heads and torsos. For example, dolls featuring arms which move as a result of leg movement are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,542 issued to Mayer, et al on Apr. 1, 1986 and Italian Pat. No. 672206 issued to Ong and dated Oct. 26, 1964. Dolls having heads which move in response to leg or arm movement are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,217,726 issued to Flicker, et al on Aug. 19, 1980; 3,475,853 issued to Adler on Nov. 4, 1969 and 2,137,371 issued to Marsh on Nov. 22, 1938. U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,934 issued to Lewis, et al on Dec. 30, 1975 features a control lever used for controlling rotation and tilting of upper and lower torso members of a doll with respect to each other. A doll having arms which may be moved by twisting its torso about a vertical axis is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,405 issued to Tepper on Mar. 14, 1972. Fianlly, U.S. Pat. No. 1,685,358 issued to Harcourt on Sept. 25, 1928 describes a manikin having a coil spring at its waist.
None of the above patents discloses a doll having arms which move in response to its upper torso being pivoted or tilted about a horizontal axis. A child could play with such a doll by grasping the upper torso and tilting it back and forth while the feet of the doll are placed on a supporting surface, resulting in continuous movement of the doll's arms. As a result, the child can pretend that the doll is dancing as the arms move back and forth in response to the tilting movement of the upper torso. Accordingly, there is a need in the toy manufacturing arts for a toy doll having articulated arms which move as the upper torso of the doll is tilted about a horizontal axis.